Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 February 1887 — Reminiscences of The War. [ARTICLE]

Reminiscences of The War.

THE BATTLE OF STONE KIVEIi. The 40th Ind. Regt, with the army of the Tennessee, leit Nashville, Tenn.. Dec 2<>th. IM'd, bound tor Murfrrrcboro. We fought and drove the enemy everyday through mud and rain; at Lavern. a little town on the piki, tiny •aused us to form our,lines for battle, but we soon out-flanked them, and routed them. I think we lost two killed and three wounded, in sight of where I stood. I was sharp shooting in the advance. 1 got several good shots, but had a bad gun. On the morning of the 30th we laid In a cedar grove to the left of the railroad. The enemy made a desperate charge on us about day break:-many artillery men were watering their horses. others sleeping and getting breakfast. They eame in Mieh-teree on our right that they drove oar mon through the timber, back, I suppose, near two miles, until they re-formed, along and near the pike. At the same time a cavalry force camo round in tho rear of our hospital, some-two miles in our rear. They captured the hospital, but were soon driven back; they captured a train of our wagens and many stragglers near Lavern. on the Nashville pike. We were in Gen. Thomas Wood’s division on the left. We wore ordered out into an open cotton field, and moved dowli in front near Stone river. While we layon the ground here, facing a Rebel battery across the river, which shelled us severely, Gen. Rosocrans and his aids and escorts came riding up in our front. We had to arise, fix bayonets and prepare for a charge. A shell from the enemy's guns burst in front of them, about three rods in front of us, dismounting one of his escort; they passed round to our right and on down the advance line while the battle was raging There we lost one of Co. A., by a shell that took oil' the calves of his legs and heels as we lay on the ground. We were ordered into a grove to our right, near th? railroad, fronting the b? id hi die river. There a shell took off the - nose of the LietFteirant Colonel’s line bay mare, to the eyes. Ho stood alongside of the mare, holding the bridal rein in his hand until she fell, My captain called for four men as sharp shooters from Co. A., to go along the railroad to shoot at. Rebel sharp shooters, ,who were picking off our artillerymen, James P Julian, C. C Hulett, Amos Travis and R. B, Wiis n reported. We crawled along the g ade

of the railroad a short distance. 1 took off my knapsack, so that I could have better ifte of myself, crawled to a ’good position, tired four shots, rammed in the fifth ball part way down ami got it so tight I could not move it: I was afraid of bursting my gun to shoot it out; I just turned round, ciawietF back past my knapsack, noticed a gun leaning Against a tree on the bank of the railroad, and while examining it. I noticed a Rebel‘brigade advancing in our front to attack us, while across the railroad and pike, about two hundred yards or mere to the right and rear of us, the Rebels were making a desperate attack on about twenty cannon that had been pouring grape and. canister, shot and shells, into their ranks. I noticed my regiment forming in line in front of a cotton-gin. between the raiU road and pike. I took the gun that sat by the tree-, hurried to my place in Co., A., which had lain down. The 57th Ind. Regt, lay just a few paces in our front; they were ordered to o:;r rear, along side of the battery, as a support. They marched back-. passing .iiglit. througirdur ranks, every other man yi our ranks raised up, crawled btten. of his right hand man to h t them pass through, then crawled buck to- his place-} My right band comrade was a boy of aboqt 17 years,’.He feared nothing and would keep his head up locking around, The captian noticed him and told him to keep down- At time the Rebel brigade was within good gun shot, pouri: g bullets among us '.ikthrowing handfuos of shelled c ~r:; or. .. „aJxouscxtKjf— X)ae bullet.-r my comrade’s neck just under the killing him instantly. The artillery were firing over us. The rebels baited and kept up a fire on v.=. I rested my left elbow on the ground, held my gun in left hand, fired three shots at them, was laying on my back ramming down the fourth ball, when a shell from a Rebel cannon burst just over me. A piece of it went down through the side of my right thigh, making a hole that

four silver half dollars would lay in. I jumped up, said Hades and felt the hole in my leg. I saw I was standing right in front of a cannon. The gun" ncr seemed to notice. He held his fire until I stepped aside: then be tired, aL most raised me offthe ground. 1 then went to the rear in the woods and sat down by tho tree. . A surgeon examined my wound, it had not bled but i\as turned to a yellowish purple around it. I wrapped a bandage around it and in a few minutes it began to hurt. I got in an ambulence and started for the hospital. We passed through the woods ' and bn both sides of the pike the rail fences were all laid down, preparatory to charging through them. The hospital was in a grove near a brick house, ' tables were made of and men I put on them to have-legs \ and armstaken off. J uaL iu. Lout - wore swerak hundred Rebel prisoners in '.tho grove with a heavy line of guardk around them. It was against the ruljs to talk ito them but many men would -talk-. I i noticed a L'ni'Ui soldier on the \outside and a Confederate on the inside: quari reling like two mad brutes through a I fence. . Many wounded men lay on the ground, in wet leaves, waiting for better quarters. 1 went to a tent where one of my comrades was, who. had his heels shot away, and a wounded Rebel. ,('< included next week.. . ,